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No. 58

Diocletian's Palace

On land Mediterranean
The Peristil is the rectangular space at the centre of Diocletian's Palace. On the left is the Cathedral of St Domnius and straight ahead is the Protiron intended to "frame" Emperor Diocletian as he emerged from his priv
Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Where
Split, Croatia
Built by
Emperor Diocletian
Era
305 CE
Known for
A retirement palace with a living city inside its walls.
How it ended
Never abandoned; locals moved in and built a town inside it.
Illustration depicting the Palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian in its original appearance.
Ernest Hébrard (recoloured by DIREKTOR), Public domain
Croatia
dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
Sv. Duje cathedral, Split, Croatia
Minestrone, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Background

Diocletian's Palace (Croatian: Dioklecijanova palača, pronounced [diokletsijǎːnova pǎlatʃa]; Latin: Palatium Diocletiani) is an ancient Roman palace and fortress complex in Split, Croatia. It was built at the end of the third century AD by the Roman Emperor Diocletian as his retirement residence. About half of the complex was for Diocletian's personal use, with the rest housing the military garrison. The complex was built on a peninsula six kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest from Salona, the former capital of Dalmatia, one of the largest cities of the late empire with 60,000 people and the birthplace of Diocletian.

Today the palace forms about half of the old town of Split, with 3,000 inhabitants and numerous shops, boutiques, cafes, bars, and restaurants. In 1979, it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.